The Marlborough Express newspaper

01/12/2010

The Marlborough Express is Marlborough's daily newspaper. The Expresss was founded by Samuel Johnson in 1866. At the time of its founding it faced competition from two other newspapers, however it has been suggested that political rivalry between Blenheim and Picton meant that promoting a provincial newspaper that served the whole region gave it an advantage over its rivals the Marlborough Press, and the Wairau Record, which served Picton and Blenheim respectively.

In 1879 Johnson sold the Express to Smith Furness and James Boudy. In 1880, under its new owners, the Express became a daily newspaper, and in 1895 it bought its competitor the Marlborough Times, and later the Marlborough Press in 1948.

In 1985 The Express introduced the free weekly Saturday Express, distributed to nearly all households in Marlborough. Circulation of this free paper as of the end of March 2005 was estimated at 18,609 based on official statistics.

The Express remained in the Furness family until 1998 when it was sold to Independent Newspapers Limited, controlled by global media magnate Rupert Murdoch. In 2003 Australian media group, John Fairfax Holdings Ltd, purchased the publishing assets of INL.

In response to the growing popularity and advertising success of the rival Blenheim Sun, the Express lauched a second free paper, the Marlborough Midweek in November 2004. Unlike the Saturday Express, the Midweek produced a considerable amount of controversy, and mixed results, as some locals saw this as a cynical approach by the incumbent to undermine the underdog, and boycotted the Marlborough Midweek. Early editions of the Midweek also tended to be relatively light on original local content, with a considerable amount of content being sourced from other Fairfax properties, probably to limit expenses and avoid competition with the daily Marlborough Express, however over time, both quality of content has improved.

Many articles from the Marlborough Express can be freely viewed online as part of the Stuff web site, while a complete digital replica can be accessed online for a subscription.